Event

The Williams Mullen seminar on the new Clean Water Rule, originally scheduled for October 20, 2015, was cancelled in light of an Order entered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Oct. 6, 2015. That order temporarily blocks implementation of the Rule nationwide. Because it’s quite possible the Rule will be overturned in court – and will be blocked from implementation in the meantime – we delayed the seminar to see how the legal proceedings shake-out. If the injunction is lifted, we’ll reschedule the seminar. If it’s not lifted, we’ll wait for a decision on the merits and reschedule the seminar then.

The Clean Water Rule issued by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this past summer defines the extent of “Waters of the United States,” a term that includes wetlands. Developers and others need to understand the rule to know when impacts to streams and wetlands require a federal 404 permit. Similarly, the term “Waters of the United States” is used to define the applicability of other regulations covering such things as wastewater and stormwater management and discharges, release reporting and oil spill response plans.

This seminar will:
• provide an overview of the rule,
• review how it is being implemented by the Corps and EPA for wetland permitting and other environmental programs,
• review how it affects Virginia’s wetland permit programs,
• identify key issues with the rule that are yet to be resolved, and
• offer suggestions that could minimize delay in issuance of permits.